Harry Potter: 15 Most WTF Things Hagrid Has Ever Done

While Rubeus Hagrid was by far one of the most lovable characters in the Harry Potter series, he wasn’t without his faults. Time after time, he did some pretty WTF things that had us shaking our heads in disbelief. Sure, he was well meaning, but he didn’t always think about how his actions would affect others.

Ultimately, Hagrid always tried to see the good in people (when possible) and especially in magical creatures, but his methods were oftentimes less than stellar. His absent-mindedness and child-like preoccupations with raising new “pets” often endangered others, and he always seemed to get through his missteps by the seat of his pants— mainly due to Dumbledore’s influence.

Although we honor Hagrid’s bravery and good heart, we can’t help but question whether or not he was missing a few marbles— or maybe it was just his giant’s blood. Either way, he’s had so many ridiculous moments they actually warrant their own list for examination.

These are the 15 Most WTF Things Hagrid Has Ever Done.

15. Not telling Harry how to get to Platform 9 ¾

Despite having gone to Hogwarts himself— and knowing exactly how to get to the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station— Hagrid didn’t think to mention specifics to Harry before sending him back with the Dursleys in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Although he’s a bit absent-minded at times, you would hope that after spending time with Harry and realizing he knew absolutely zero about the magical world, that he’d make sure Harry had no problems finding Platform 9 3/4.

Instead, Hagrid basically just told Harry to look at his ticket— as if it would tell him to head straight for the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 at a bit of a run (although nothing would surprise us when it comes to the wizarding world).

Not only was Harry thoroughly confused as a result of Hagrid’s oversight, but he was completely embarrassed by the Dursleys, who thought he was looney for even suggesting the existence of a platform with such a silly number. Harry probably would have missed the train if he hadn’t spotted the Weasleys pushing their trolleys with owls and Hogwarts-related objects on them.

14. Wearing those horrid dress robes for the Yule Ball

We get that most witches and wizards don’t follow the fashion trends of the Muggle world, but some of them have absolutely no fashion sense at all. Hagrid’s choices in clothing were particularly abhorrent, making him seem cartoonish and ridiculous, rather than complementing his rather large size. He was frequently seen in an oversized, moleskin coat that seemed to have an endless array of pockets. While that piece of clothing was an eyesore in and of itself, his outfit for the Yule Ball during the TriWizard Tournament was an especially WTF ensemble.

Hagrid seemed determined to look as much like a large furry animal as possible wearing dress robes that could have been made from Chewbacca’s pelt. If that wasn’t offensive enough, he also chose a yellow polka-dotted tie to accessorize with, which seemed more suited for a clown. It’s no wonder Madam Maxime rejected him. Half-giantess or not, she was French and obviously possessed a sophistication that made her a bit out of Hagrid’s league. Poor guy.

13. Continuing to illegally use magic with his broken wand

When Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, Dumbledore came to his rescue, convincing the then-headmaster, Armando Dippet, to let him stay on as gamekeeper. Supposedly, Hagrid’s wand was snapped since he could no longer continue his schooling nor practice magic properly and safely. However, shortly after his wand was destroyed, Hagrid began carrying around a pink umbrella. Inside was rumored to be the pieces of Hagrid’s wand that were still somehow able to do magic.

For the most part, he seemed to only use it to help complete his gamekeeping tasks and for household chores like lighting a fire, but as we saw in the Sorcerer’s Stone, sometimes he tried magic on a person. How he didn’t get caught and tried by the Ministry of Magic can only be attributed to Dumbledore, seeing as Hagrid was doing magic illegally. Dumbledore may have put some kind of protective spell on the wand so that it couldn’t be traced, which was pretty WTF on his part as well for enabling a half-trained wizard.

12. Assigning the Monster Book of Monsters to his class

In true Hagrid fashion, he assigned his first Care of Magical Creatures class a book called The Monster Book of Monsters. No one was particularly happy with Hagrid’s choice of textbook, especially the sales clerk at Flourish and Blotts who, in the book, had to keep fetching them from a cage while trying to avoid getting bitten.

Not only did this book contain information about some of the most dangerous magical creatures alive, but the book itself was also a monster— with four eyes and a scary set of teeth. Once you opened it up, it immediately started chomping up pages and trying to bite the reader. How anyone could actually read it was a mystery, although Hagrid did point out that all you had to do was stroke its spine and it would calm down. Naturally.

As we saw in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, there are plenty of magical creatures that don’t classify as monsters, but for some reason those were the ones that Hagrid was constantly attracted to.

11. Giving Dudley a pig’s tail

Obviously, the fact that Hagrid did magic at all was bad enough, considering he wasn’t supposed to, but it’s safe to say he took things a little too far when he met the Dursleys for the first time. Enraged by the fact that Mr. Dursley would dare insult Albus Dumbledore (despite not even knowing who he was), Hagrid attempted to turn Dudley into a pig. Luckily for Dudley, Hagrid couldn’t fully do the spell and all he was left with was a curly tail.

Wizard or not, that was a pretty mean thing to do to a child, even if he was pretty pig-like to begin with. Seeing as that was the first instance of magic Harry had ever seen someone do, it wasn’t exactly the best choice to set a good example.

Hagrid knows very well that doing magic in the presence of Muggles is forbidden, so the fact that he does it anyway— and in front of Harry— is pretty reckless. You could argue that this moment inspired Harry to act out against Aunt Marge in Prisoner of Azkaban, despite knowing he would get in trouble for it as well.

10. Hosting a “support Harry Potter” party under Voldemort’s reign

You have to give it to Hagrid; he was loyal almost to a fault when it came to the people he cared about. He had no problem putting his life on the line for Harry if it meant he’d stay safe. After all, Hagrid was the one who delivered Harry to the Dursleys and fetched him for his first year at Hogwarts. In some ways, Hagrid probably had some fatherly feelings for Harry, but he didn’t always make the best decisions in regard to his own safety.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hear— via the password protected Potterwatch radio program— that Hagrid had tried to host a “support Harry Potter” party at his hut. Seeing as Hogwarts was overrun with Death Eaters at the time, it was a noble, but misguided choice that could have resulted in the arrests, or deaths, of himself and others. Unfortunately, free speech was not protected under Voldemort’s reign, and Hagrid was forced into hiding because of his very public support of Undesirable No. 1.

9. Letting Ron puke up slugs instead of going to the hospital wing

So we know that Hagrid’s technically not allowed to do magic, but that doesn’t mean that other people have to suffer for it. After Ron’s slug-vomiting charm backfires on him, Harry and Hermione take him to see Hagrid. Instead of sending them straight to the hospital wing— or getting help from one of the other teachers— he just lets Ron puke out the slugs into a bucket.

While in the film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets he says that Ron will just have to wait it out, in the book Hermione actually says that line. Last time we checked, Hagrid never finished his schooling at Hogwarts (thanks to Tom Riddle) and Hermione was only a second year student (with no medical training might we add), despite being the smartest witch in her year.

Even Professor Snape would have probably had a potion of some sort to stop the slugs— although not if he found out Ron was trying to curse Draco —or he would have at least chided them for not going straight to Madam Pomfrey. Maybe Hagrid wanted to keep the slugs as pets since he was fond of pretty much every other gross creature in existence. WTF, Hagrid?

8. Making kids do their detention in the Forbidden Forest

Even though Professor McGonagall was just as much to blame for okaying their detention, it was Hagrid who came up with the actual punishment. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco (plus Neville, in the book) all get detention for roaming the castle late at night. Instead of just making them do some kind of manual labor or writing lines, they’re to accompany Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest to figure out what’s hurting the unicorns there.

While it doesn’t sound so bad at first, they have to do it at 11pm at night when all the creepy crawly things are out and about in the forest. WTF? Didn’t they just get in trouble for being out late at night?

If that wasn’t bad enough, Hagrid makes them split up even after he tells them that nothing in the forest can hurt them if they stick with him. Turns out he wasn’t quite prepared for Lord Voldemort to be one of those creatures of the night and Harry nearly gets killed by Quirrell (who has lent Voldemort the back of his head).

Were they so short-handed at Hogwarts that Hagrid seriously had to resort to endangering students lives in order to accomplish his gamekeeping duties?

7. Getting drunk all the time

Hagrid wasn’t always the greatest role model for Harry, Ron, and Hermione— or the other Hogwarts students for that matter. He often got drunk to deal with his feelings, whether happy or sad.

When he thought he was going to get fired in Prisoner of Azkaban, he was described as having a “pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him.” He was also fourteen buckets of wine deep after Aragog died and he staged a funeral with Harry and Slughorn. That’s a sure sign of alcoholism if we ever saw one.

Being the half-giant that he is, Hagrid needs quite a bit of alcohol for it to get to him, making it pretty risky for the average wizard to drink with him. It also makes him rather dangerous, seeing as it loosens up his tongue even more than normal, which nearly had disastrous consequences in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

6. Constantly revealing things he shouldn’t

Definitely aided by his penchant for drink, but not the sole reason behind it, Hagrid has a certain WTF tendency to reveal secret information. One of his most frequently used phrases throughout the books and movies was, “I shouldn’t have said that,” as he was always letting something slip to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It makes you wonder if Dumbledore purposefully told him things in order to have him let them slip to Harry. He had to have known that Hagrid couldn’t exactly keep a secret since he had been gamekeeper at Hogwarts for many years at that point.

Hagrid revealed the trick to put Fluffy to sleep in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he admitted that Nicholas Flamel was one of the creators of the stone, he showed Harry what the first task was in Goblet of Fire, and he even talked openly about Sirius Black’s relation to and betrayal of Harry’s parents (at least in the books), which Harry ended up overhearing.

Hagrid needs to stop blabbering what he knows in order to make himself feel important. The guy clearly has some self-esteem issues as a result of his past and half-giant blood status.

5. Being responsible for the Acromantulas living in the Forbidden Forest

One of the first magical creatures (that we know of) which Hagrid tries to raise as a pet was an acromantula named Aragog. In fact, Aragog was the very reason that Tom Riddle was able to frame Hagrid for opening the Chamber of Secrets, leading to his expulsion from Hogwarts. Since acromantula feed on human flesh, he couldn’t exactly have one hanging about—even if Aragog was tiny at the time. So he did what anyone does with an unwanted pet, released him into the wild.

Aragog probably would have done fine on his own, but Hagrid just had to find him a mate. Then, instead of a single giant, flesh-eating spider on the edge of Hogwarts, he created an entire colony of them. Luckily, Aragog regarded him as a friend or he would have surely become a very satisfying dinner for the lot of them. However, what possessed him to befriend something that horrifying in the first place is certainly beyond our understanding.

4. Breeding an illegal hybrid creature

Although they’re never seen in the Harry Potter films, Hagrid’s Blast-Ended Skrewts were quite a nuisance in the fourth book. He bred them as part of his Care of Magical Creatures class, much to the horror of Harry and his classmates. You see, while their name might seem kind of cutesy, they were anything but. In fact, the Skrewts were exactly the kind of monstrous abomination that probably inspired the ban on experimental breeding in the magical world.

Half Manticore, half Fire Crab, these hybrid beasties were super illegal and probably some of the most dangerous creations alive. All they did was wreak havoc— blasting fire out their… ends and killing each other with their poisonous stingers. Not exactly the kind of thing you’d want anywhere near your children.

If Hagrid had been anywhere except for Hogwarts (and under the protection of Dumbledore), he would have most certainly been arrested.

3. Trying to raise a dragon in his hut

Hagrid’s obsession with keeping deadly creatures as pets nearly put the Sorcerer’s Stone in Voldemort’s hands, as we saw in the first Harry Potter book and film. He won a dragon’s egg from a disguised Professor Quirrell, who was just trying to lure him into revealing how to tame one of Hagrid’s other pets— Fluffy the three-headed dog.

Sure little Norbert(a) was cute as an egg, and then as a pint-sized dragon, but once that sucker started to grow, he grew fast. Hagrid probably thought he could just hide Norbert(a) in the Forbidden Forest along with all his other terrifying pets, but we’re pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to keep a dragon a secret for long.

Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione could scarcely believe that Hagrid actually thought he could handle raising a dragon in his hut. If it hadn’t been for them, Hagrid probably would have been found out by Draco and lord knows he would have told his meddling father all about it.

It’s all fine and dandy for Hagrid to want to raise the most dangerous magical creatures alive on his own time, but they’re not exactly an appropriate choice for teaching a class of third or fourth years right off the bat. Nevertheless, time after time, Harry and his classmates were subjected to every manner of beast that carried ratings of XXX or higher. According to the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book— originally written by J. K. Rowling for charity— magical creatures are rated on a scale from X to XXXXX. Buckbeak, a Hippogriff and their first lesson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was a XXX beast meaning “competent wizards should cope.”

Hagrid’s competence was definitely questionable given his history, especially since he let Harry ride Buckbeak only mere moments after being properly introduced to him. And as for those Blast-Ended Skrewts? Well, they were XXXXX creatures who were “known wizard killers” and were “impossible to train or domesticate.” No wonder only Luna Lovegood seemed to take a liking to the subject. Guess you have to be a little bit looney in order to care for such deadly beings.

1. Bringing Grawp to the Forbidden Forest

Hagrid can’t seem to help himself when he comes across a misunderstood or mistreated being. Perhaps it’s because he was abandoned by his mother that he feels the need to take care of the unloved creatures of the world. While it’s certainly a sweet and admirable trait to have, more often than not, he lets his feelings cloud his judgement.

Take his half-brother Grawp, for example. Hagrid dragged Grawp half across the country just because he was being bullied. The giant didn’t even want to leave originally, but Hagrid forced him to go. Then, he was left to take care of a deadly being, once again, whom he hid in the Forbidden Forest. Even with all the other creatures he brought over to Hogwarts, sheltering Grawp was pretty high up on the list of stupidest things Hagrid had ever done.

Just look at how he greeted Hermione. Grawp picked her up and nearly crushed her to death. Giants were known to kill each other, never mind a human that wandered into their midst. At least he came in handy when they needed to scare off Umbridge for a bit.

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Did we miss any of Hagrid’s crazy actions in Harry Potter? Let us know in the comments!